Tesla asks NHTSA to hide its response to Robotaxi questions
Tesla has requested that NHTSA withhold its response to the numerous questions the regulators had about its recent Robotaxi launch.
As for the agency, it said that it is aware of some disturbing videos in which we can see Tesla’s system making serious mistakes on its first day.
Prior to Tesla’s Robotaxi launch on Sunday, NHTSA had sent Tesla a series of questions about the program, which Tesla was required to answer by June 19th.
The agency wanted a lot more details because it is particularly concerned about the fact that Tesla is using its ‘Supervised Full Self-Driving’ in the Robotaxi service while it is currently under investigation for its involvement in several serious crashes.
Tesla has now responded to NHTSA, but it has requested that the agency keep all its answers confidential.
The automaker has consistently avoided sharing data about its Autopilot and Full Self-Driving programs, particularly crash data.
Automakers and companies developing self-driving and ADAS systems are required to report all crashes related to those systems, but Tesla has been abusing NHTSA’s program to get some of the data reported.
Publications have been trying to obtain the data through the courts, and Tesla has fought the effort, claiming that it would ‘suffer financial harm’ if its self-driving crash data were released.
There’s currently no indication that NHTSA will be able to release any information about Tesla’s Robotaxi service.
As we previously reported, the service launched with a Tesla employee in the front passenger seat with a finger constantly on the door unlactch button, which is likely to have been reprogrammed as a kill switch for the self-driving system.
This is likely information that would be confirmed and detailed in Tesla’s responses to NHTSA, and it would be critical, as it would prove that Tesla’s autonomous driving system can’t be considered level 4, which is now required to operate a commercial autonomous driving system, such as Robotaxi, in Texas.
Robotaxi has already been spotted making several significant mistakes over its first day of commercial operations, including driving in the wrong lane with incoming traffic and dropping passengers in the middle of an intersection.
NHTSA has confirmed that it is aware of those incidents and that it is currently gathering information about the situation:
NHTSA is aware of the referenced incidents and is in contact with the manufacturer to gather additional information. NHTSA will continue to enforce the law on all manufacturers of motor vehicles and equipment, in accordance with the Vehicle Safety Act and our data-driven, risk-based investigative process. Under U.S. law, NHTSA does not pre-approve new technologies or vehicle systems – rather, manufacturers certify that each vehicle meets NHTSA’s rigorous safety standards, and the agency investigates incidents involving potential safety defects. Following an assessment of those reports and other relevant information, NHTSA will take any necessary actions to protect road safety.
The agency has also stated that its investigation into Tesla’s FSD-Supervised/Beta “remains open.”
Electrek’s Take
Tesla CEO Elon Musk is on record saying, “Transparency is the key to trust.” Yet, Tesla has not been anything close to transparent about any of its autonomous driving or ADAS system efforts.
On the contrary, it has gone out of its way to try to hide any level of data consistently.
In fact, Tesla has never released any data about FSD beyond cumulative mileage, which doesn’t indicate the system’s performance. Tesla even mentioned multiple increases in improvements in miles between disengagements without ever sharing actual data.
It’s incredibly disappointing. Elon is a great example of: Do what I say, not what I do.
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When the $7,500 Federal EV tax credit expired September 30th, a number of carmakers leaped into action, offering rebates, price cuts, and promos of their own in a bid to keep the good times rolling. Now, it seems like even Rolls-Royce is getting in on the act with a fresh $5,000 rebate of its own for November.
CarScoops is reporting a rare lease incentive offering on the ultra-luxe Rolls-Royce Spectre electric coupe that it says, “replaces the expired $7,500 Federal EV tax credit.”
Granted, with the price of the base Spectre starting at $397,750 and climbing quickly to $467,750 for the Spectre Black Badge model, the big coupe is well above the old $80K cap and its buyers likely make far too much to qualify anyway — but if there’s one thing I’ve learned from my few brushes with Real Wealth™, it’s this: those hate paying taxes.
As such, it’s not that hard to imagine a Rolls-Royce salesperson explaining this in those terms. “This isn’t a discount or a sale or anything so gaudy,” he’d explain, dismissing any concern as petty as price. “We’re simply honoring the tax credit that you deserve.”
Rolling deep
The Rolls-Royce Spectre first rolled (Ha!) into showrooms in 2023 with a perfect sufficient 430 kW (577 hp) electric motor drawing energy from a stout, 120 kWh battery pack good for up to 265 miles (~425 km) of range. The Black Badge version bumps the horsepower to 650 (485 kW), but the purists will tell you that either number is enough.
You can find out more about Rolls-Royce’ EV leas deals, below, then let us know what you think about this sordid business of “discount dash” in the comments section at the bottom of the page.
SOURCE: CarScoops; images via Rolls-Royce.
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Germany is about to become home to Europe’s largest battery storage system – a massive 1 gigawatt (GW) / 4 gigawatt-hour (GWh) project in Jänschwalde, Brandenburg.
LEAG Clean Power GmbH and Fluence Energy GmbH, a subsidiary of US-based Fluence Energy (NASDAQ: FLNC), are teaming up to build the “GigaBattery Jänschwalde 1000.” The four-hour system will use Fluence’s Smartstack technology, its latest large-scale energy storage solution.
Once complete, Europe’s largest battery storage project will play a key role in stabilizing Germany’s grid and storing renewable power for when the sun isn’t shining and the wind isn’t blowing. It’s designed to deliver essential grid services, support energy trading, and boost energy security as the country phases out fossil fuels.
LEAG’s broader “GigawattFactory” plan combines solar and wind farms with flexible power plants and large-scale batteries across Germany’s Lusatian energy region. “By constructing gigascale storage facilities, we’re addressing one of the biggest challenges of the energy transition: ensuring constant power regardless of the availability of renewable energies,” said Adi Roesch, CEO of the LEAG Group.
Fluence CEO Julian Nebreda described the project as a “milestone for the energy future of Germany and Europe,” adding that it demonstrates how collaboration and cutting-edge technology can “transform the foundation of our economy and our everyday lives.”
The German government recently reaffirmed the importance of storage in building a secure and affordable clean power system. With this 4 GWh giant, LEAG and Fluence are implementing that priority in one of Europe’s most coal-heavy regions.
Read more: Battery boom: 5.6 GW of US energy storage added in Q2
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